BY JIM NIEMIEC
BITTERWATER VALLEY – The Central Coast of California offers up great hunting opportunities for a variety of big game and upland game birds. This WON Sr. Hunting Writer has been hunting the coastal oak studded mountains and fertile valleys since way back in the mid-nineteen-sixties, when I first started working for Western Outdoor News.
When gathering information for a hunting column a few weeks prior to opening of the spring turkey season one of my main contacts was master guide/outfitter Clayton Grant of Bitterwater Outfitters, hunt@bitterwateroutfitters.com. Clayton talked about a very huntable population of Rio Grande gobblers, thanks to Mother Nature being so cooperative the past couple of springs. Grant then added that wild pig hunting has been exceptional on all the ranch properties he has hunting leases on, with a good mix of trophy boars, meat pigs and sows.
This outdoor writer has been hunting with Bitterwater Outfitters for nearly 20 years and with very good success. The first hunt with Grant was to target hogs during an event called “The Pistachio Run”. Grant had property located right on the nightly and early morning travel routes of hogs as they crossed from a grove of Pistachios down in the bottom of Bitterwater Valley.
Before getting off the phone with Grant, the veteran outfitter suggested that I come up for a combo hunt anytime after opening weekend of the spring turkey season. I didn’t even have to think about the hunting opportunity and we set up a mid-week hunt for this past week.
Bitterwater Outfitters had recently moved headquarters to a new ranch near Shandon and that is where I checked in with Mike Renteria to fill out paperwork for the hunt(s). This new ranch encompasses thousands of acres of rolling hillside, now lush and green with barley. There is a guest ranch house that can accommodate 6 hunters, hanging racks for skinning game, walk-in cold storage for game and a covered shooting bay for sighting-in a rifle.
The plan was to head to a ranch just outside of the rural town of Shandon for an evening hog hunt. I met up with Grant and his number one guide Eli Green, and we switched to a Can-Am ATV, that is ideally suited for hog hunting over the rugged terrain and deep canyons of the central coast. The cattle ranch we were hunting consisted over 15,000 acres, a valley of alfalfa and plenty of water and native crops, all ideal for holding wild hogs.
The wind was gusting up to 25 mph, which made for a pretty cold hunt, riding around in an open ATV, but we were prepared for the cold, as all were wearing parkas and gloves.
The first boar was spotted along a hillside feeding in knee-high wild barley. It took longer to get into position to take a shot, and by that time the hog had disappeared into an adjoining canyon. It was still early in the evening with lots of hog holding terrain to hunt.
Next Grant and Green decided to pass on a group of mixed pigs, as there wasn’t a big boar, only a couple of sows a half a dozen piglets.
Canyon after canyon was glassed until finally we spotted a small group of 4 shootable boar. The plan was to isolate the biggest boar and thus the chase began. That single boar had huge shoulders and could really make tracks, as it tried to escape danger. After relocating our shooting position, this shooter got out and set up my Weatherby Mark 5, 7mm Mag rifle on the shooting stick. My first shot was high, and the second bullet just grazed the hip of the hog, drawing some blood, but not slowing the pig down much. Grant knew where the pig was going and we headed up to the top of hill to wait for the pig to run past us. The pig was about ready to top a ridge and escape but 140 gr. TTSX Barnes bullet put the hog down.
It was a big old boar, weighing in excess of 250 lbs., its tusks were well worn down and it showed plenty of grey and old battle scars.
As the sun began to set, I realized I had only a single Barnes copper cartridge in my ammo pouch. Grant wanted to shoot a second hog, but with time running out we wouldn’t have time get back to my rig for more ammo. Green then spoke up, “ I know a canyon of this ranch that always holds hogs. Let’s go take a look.”
Topping a ridge line. A lone reddish-rust boar was walking up a hillside. This hunter stepped out of the ATV, mounted the shooting stick and dispatched the boar with my last bullet. That second boar weighed about 150 lbs. and would provide good eating.
That night I opted to stay at the Vino Inn and Suites, atascaderovinoinn.com, as it is centrally located to most hunting locations along the coast. We would be meeting up a 4:45 AM to set up for a gobbler and be in the blind at least an hour before legal shooting time.
The temperature was 46 degrees, but there was no wind and a full moon phase made for a wonderful night to be out in the woods. About 15 minutes before sunrise, gobbles started up behind us. Green had scouted the area and roosted a group of 6 hens, 2 jakes and 5 gobblers the day before.
The first to fly down was a pair of hens, followed by the two jakes, who immediately spotted the hen decoys and double timed it to start harassing the girls, right in front of the blind. Then 4 more hens flew, followed by two gobblers. The gobblers didn’t waste time, as they ran right to the decoys and faced off the jakes. This shooter was ready and got on one tom standing, fully fanned, at 35 yards. I waited for him to relax, lift his head and then took the shot. I missed!
I sure blew that set up. We waited another hour in hopes that the other 3 toms would show up, but there was no more gobbling, as likely those other toms were hened up and silent. Grant said that our best chances now at shooting a gobbler, was to drive around the oak studded ranch and employ a “Spot and Stalk” technique.
We passed on a couple of toms that were moving through thick stands of oak and vines, but finally spotted a group of 7 birds, of which 2 were adult toms. It took time to get into position for a killing down hill shot, but my aim was right on and the gobbler, sporting a 9-inch beard, folded into the base on an ancient blue oak, thus ending a perfect spring combo hunt.
On the way back to the parking area, I had a chance to talk to Grant about the many hunting opportunities that are offered by Bitterwater Outfitters and he said the following, “Jim, you had a chance to see the ranches we hunt and saw lots of game. I would have to believe that this year hunters will be able to hunt good numbers of coastal and blacktail deer, big wild hogs and plenty of Rio Grande turkey. In addition, our exotic game and bison hunts offer an additional challenge for hunters. We hunt on nearly 500,000 acres of prime ranch land, offering ideal rugged habitat, that holds very huntable populations of wild game.”
